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Action Comics Vol 1 1
Supporting Characters: * * * * * Antagonists: * * * Senator Barrows * Alex Greer Other Characters: * Evelyn Curry Locations: * * ** *** **** *** **** Governor's mansion ** Items: * Vehicles: * | Appearing2 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Blacky Antagonists: * John Burwell * Butch * "Trigger" Holt * Notch Logan Other Characters: * Dan Dawson * Sheriff of Red Gulch * Deputy sheriff of Red Gulch Locations: * ** *** Dan Dawson's ranch ** *** Red Gulch **** A-G Ranch | Appearing3 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Antagonists: * * Train Inspector Babcock * Monk * Spike Other Characters: * Detective Brady * Detective Brown * State Police Captain Kennedy Locations: * Vehicles: * Freight Train | Appearing5 = Featured Characters: * | Appearing6 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Niccolò Polo * Maffeo Polo * Niku Antagonists: * Babylonians * The Bararri Men Other Characters: * King of Armenia's emissary * King of Armenia * Pope Gregory X * The Khan of Tartary Locations: * ** *** *** ** ** *** Mount Ararat *** Dora ** *** Bunder-Abbas ** *** Karghar Pass Vehicles: * Armenian galley * Babylon warships | Appearing7 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Pop Burkett Antagonists: * Doc Lowry * Boomerang Other Characters: * Sailor Sorenson * O'Rourke Locations: * | Appearing8 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Rusty James Antagonists: * Arnold Other Characters: * Police Officers Locations: * ** | Appearing9 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Robert * Betty Antagonists: * Sonja * Chief * Monk Other Characters: * Sheriff * Sergeant Smith Locations: * ** | Notes = The first "Superman" character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster was not a hero, but a villain. Their short story "The Reign of the Superman" concerned a bald-headed villain bent on dominating the world. The story did not sell, forcing the two to preposition their character on the right side of the law. In 1935, their Superman story was again rejected by newspaper syndicates wanting to avoid lawsuits, who recognized the character as being similar to a lead character from Philip Wylie's 1930 novel. DC decided to take a chance with Superman, figuring if any lawsuits were filed, they would just drop the feature. * The revised Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1, June 1938. Siegel and Shuster sold the rights to the company for $130 and a contract to supply the publisher with material. The Saturday Evening Post reported in 1941 that the pair was being paid still a fraction of DC's Superman profits. In 1946, when Siegel and Shuster sued for more money, DC fired them, prompting a legal battle that ended in 1948, when they signed away any further claim to Superman or any character created from him. DC soon took their names off the byline. Following the huge financial success of Superman: The Movie in 1978 and news reports of their pauper-like existences, Warner Communications gave Siegel and Shuster lifetime pensions of $35,000 per year and health care benefits. In addition, any media production which includes the Superman character must include the credit, "Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster". * Superman, Champion of the Oppressed was reprinted with added material in . The story was reprinted in its original form in , Superman in the Forties, , Superman: The Golden Age Volume 1, Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years and Lois Lane: A Celebration of 75 Years. * The entire issue was reprinted in , , and . * Lois Lane is kidnapped for the first time in the first Superman story. * Although the Chuck Dawson story in this issue has been designated "The A-G Gang" by several sources (most notably the Grand Comic Book Database), the name of the gang is the '''4-G Gang' according to the second part of this story in . * "The 4-G Gang" is presented entirely in black and white. * The inside cover of this issue directs the reader to use crayons to color the first page of this story, tear out the page, and send it into a contest where the best 25 submissions would win $1. The entry deadline was midnight, June 6, 1938. * Also appearing in this issue of Action Comics was: ** "South Sea Strategy, Part I" (text story), by Frank Thomas | Trivia = Original price for $0.10, in 2010, this issue sold for $1,500,000 online.Superman back on top as Action Comics 1 sells for record 1,5 million * Zatara writer/artist Fred Guardineer is also credited as "Gene Baxter" on his Pep Morgan story, in this issue. * Russell Cole is credited as Edwin Alger in this issue. * The cover has been copied, parodied, and reinterpreted several times, including: ** ** ** ** ** ** (variant cover by only) ** ** A panel on ** A panel on ** A panel on (with an unknown metahuman) ** A panel on ** A panel on ** A panel on ** A panel on ** A panel on | Recommended = | Links = * Read "Superman, Champion of the Oppressed" online * ''Action Comics'' #1 at Wikipedia }}